Big Questions In Ecology And Evolution


Big Questions In Ecology And Evolution
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Big Questions In Ecology And Evolution


Big Questions In Ecology And Evolution
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Author : Thomas N. Sherratt
language : en
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Release Date : 2009-02-20

Big Questions In Ecology And Evolution written by Thomas N. Sherratt and has been published by OUP Oxford this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2009-02-20 with Social Science categories.


Why do we age? Why cooperate? Why do so many species engage in sex? Why do the tropics have so many species? When did humans start to affect world climate? This book provides an introduction to a range of fundamental questions that have taxed evolutionary biologists and ecologists for decades. Some of the phenomena discussed are, on first reflection, simply puzzling to understand from an evolutionary perspective, whilst others have direct implications for the future of the planet. All of the questions posed have at least a partial solution, all have seen exciting breakthroughs in recent years, yet many of the explanations continue to be hotly debated. Big Questions in Ecology and Evolution is a curiosity-driven book, written in an accessible way so as to appeal to a broad audience. It is very deliberately not a formal text book, but something designed to transmit the excitement and breadth of the field by discussing a number of major questions in ecology and evolution and how they have been answered. This is a book aimed at informing and inspiring anybody with an interest in ecology and evolution. It reveals to the reader the immense scope of the field, its fundamental importance, and the exciting breakthroughs that have been made in recent years.



The Big Questions Evolution


The Big Questions Evolution
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Author : Francisco Ayala
language : en
Publisher: Quercus
Release Date : 2013-11-05

The Big Questions Evolution written by Francisco Ayala and has been published by Quercus this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2013-11-05 with Science categories.


Easy, enlightening and mind-stretching, here are answers to the 20 biggest questions of evolution and what they tell us about life on Earth. The Big Questions series is designed to let renowned experts address the 20 most fundamental and frequently asked questions of a major branch of science or philosophy. Each 3,000-word essay simply and concisely examines a question that has eternally perplexed enquiring minds, and provides answers based on the latest research. This ambitious project is a unique distillation of humanity's best ideas. In The Big Questions: Evolution, Francisco Ayala answers the 20 key questions: What is evolution? Was Darwin right? What is natural selection? What is survival of the fittest? Is evolution a random process? What is a species? What are chromosomes, genes and DNA? How do genes build bodies? What is molecular evolution? How did life begin? What is the tree of life? Am I really a monkey? What does the fossil record tell us? What is the missing link? Is intelligence inherited? Will humans continue to evolve? Can I clone myself? Where does morality come from? Is language a uniquely human attribute? Is Creationism true?



Unsolved Problems In Ecology


Unsolved Problems In Ecology
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Author : Andrew Dobson
language : en
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Release Date : 2020-06-02

Unsolved Problems In Ecology written by Andrew Dobson and has been published by Princeton University Press this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2020-06-02 with Science categories.


"This volume provides a series of essays on open questions in ecology with the overarching goal being to outline to the most important, most interesting or most fundamental problems in ecology that need to be addressed. The contributions span ecological subfields, from behavioral ecology and population ecology to disease ecology and conservation and range in tone from the technical to more personal meditations on the state of the field. Many of the chapters start or end in moments of genuine curiosity, like one which takes up the question of why the world is green or another which asks what might come of a thought experiment in which we "turn-off" evolution entirely"--



Am I A Monkey


Am I A Monkey
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Author : Francisco J. Ayala
language : en
Publisher: JHU Press
Release Date : 2010-10-01

Am I A Monkey written by Francisco J. Ayala and has been published by JHU Press this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2010-10-01 with Science categories.


Brief, incisive, topical, authoritative, Am I a Monkey? will take you a day to read and a lifetime to ponder.



Improbable Destinies


Improbable Destinies
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Author : Jonathan B. Losos
language : en
Publisher: Penguin
Release Date : 2017-08-08

Improbable Destinies written by Jonathan B. Losos and has been published by Penguin this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2017-08-08 with Science categories.


A major new book overturning our assumptions about how evolution works Earth’s natural history is full of fascinating instances of convergence: phenomena like eyes and wings and tree-climbing lizards that have evolved independently, multiple times. But evolutionary biologists also point out many examples of contingency, cases where the tiniest change—a random mutation or an ancient butterfly sneeze—caused evolution to take a completely different course. What role does each force really play in the constantly changing natural world? Are the plants and animals that exist today, and we humans ourselves, inevitabilities or evolutionary flukes? And what does that say about life on other planets? Jonathan Losos reveals what the latest breakthroughs in evolutionary biology can tell us about one of the greatest ongoing debates in science. He takes us around the globe to meet the researchers who are solving the deepest mysteries of life on Earth through their work in experimental evolutionary science. Losos himself is one of the leaders in this exciting new field, and he illustrates how experiments with guppies, fruit flies, bacteria, foxes, and field mice, along with his own work with anole lizards on Caribbean islands, are rewinding the tape of life to reveal just how rapid and predictable evolution can be. Improbable Destinies will change the way we think and talk about evolution. Losos's insights into natural selection and evolutionary change have far-reaching applications for protecting ecosystems, securing our food supply, and fighting off harmful viruses and bacteria. This compelling narrative offers a new understanding of ourselves and our role in the natural world and the cosmos.



Discovering Evolutionary Ecology


Discovering Evolutionary Ecology
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Author : Peter J. Mayhew
language : en
Publisher: Oxford University Press on Demand
Release Date : 2006-01-05

Discovering Evolutionary Ecology written by Peter J. Mayhew and has been published by Oxford University Press on Demand this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2006-01-05 with Science categories.


This text provides a concise and readable introduction to evolutionary ecology, a field of questions united by the intermix of evolutionary and ecological knowledge.



Essential Environmental Science


Essential Environmental Science
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Author : Edward A. Keller
language : en
Publisher: Wiley
Release Date : 2008-01-15

Essential Environmental Science written by Edward A. Keller and has been published by Wiley this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2008-01-15 with Science categories.


Provides students with an up-to-date introduction to the study of the environment From two active scientists with decades of research experience comes a book that provides a non-quantitative approach that is based on principles, critical thinking, and the big questions that are driving the field today. Essential Environmental Science offers a condensed look at the subject of environmental science, covering topics in a way that will help readers answer the "big questions." It eliminates overly detailed and more advanced topics in order to make the material more accessible while also placing the focus on today's important issues. The book is an excellent learning tool for helping to educate the next generation of environmentally aware students.



Species Concepts In Biology


Species Concepts In Biology
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Author : Frank E. Zachos
language : en
Publisher: Springer
Release Date : 2016-10-05

Species Concepts In Biology written by Frank E. Zachos and has been published by Springer this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2016-10-05 with Science categories.


Frank E. Zachos offers a comprehensive review of one of today’s most important and contentious issues in biology: the species problem. After setting the stage with key background information on the topic, the book provides a brief history of species concepts from antiquity to the Modern Synthesis, followed by a discussion of the ontological status of species with a focus on the individuality thesis and potential means of reconciling it with other philosophical approaches. More than 30 different species concepts found in the literature are presented in an annotated list, and the most important ones, including the Biological, Genetic, Evolutionary and different versions of the Phylogenetic Species Concept, are discussed in more detail. Specific questions addressed include the problem of asexual and prokaryotic species, intraspecific categories like subspecies and Evolutionarily Significant Units, and a potential solution to the species problem based on a hierarchical approach that distinguishes between ontological and operational species concepts. A full chapter is dedicated to the challenge of delimiting species by means of a discrete taxonomy in a continuous world of inherently fuzzy boundaries. Further, the book outlines the practical ramifications for ecology and evolutionary biology of how we define the species category, highlighting the danger of an apples and oranges problem if what we subsume under the same name (“species”) is in actuality a variety of different entities. A succinct summary chapter, glossary and annotated list of references round out the coverage, making the book essential reading for all biologists looking for an accessible introduction to the historical, philosophical and practical dimensions of the species problem.



Ecology Of Social Evolution


Ecology Of Social Evolution
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Author : Judith Korb
language : en
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Release Date : 2008-02-23

Ecology Of Social Evolution written by Judith Korb and has been published by Springer Science & Business Media this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2008-02-23 with Science categories.


The time is ripe to investigate similarities and differences in the course of social evolution in different animals. This book brings together renowned researchers working on sociality in different animals to deal with the key questions of sociobiology. For the first time, they compile the evidence for the importance of ecological factors in the evolution of social life, ranging from invertebrate to vertebrate social systems, and evaluate its importance versus that of relatedness.



Evolution Explanation Ethics And Aesthetics


Evolution Explanation Ethics And Aesthetics
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Author : Francisco J. Ayala
language : en
Publisher: Academic Press
Release Date : 2016-07-21

Evolution Explanation Ethics And Aesthetics written by Francisco J. Ayala and has been published by Academic Press this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2016-07-21 with Science categories.


Evolution, Explanation, Ethics and Aesthetics: Towards a Philosophy of Biology focuses on the dominant biological topic of evolution. It deals with the prevailing philosophical themes of how to explain the adaptation of organisms, the interplay of chance and necessity, and the recurrent topics of emergence, reductionism, and progress. In addition, the extensively treated topic of how to explain human nature as a result of natural processes and the encompassed issues of the foundations of morality and the brain-to-mind transformation is discussed. The philosophy of biology is a rapidly expanding field, not more than half a century old at most, and to a large extent is replacing the interest in the philosophy of physics that prevailed in the first two-thirds of the twentieth century. Few texts available have the benefit of being written by an eminent biologist who happens to be also a philosopher, as in this work. This book is a useful resource for seminar courses and college courses on the philosophy of biology. Researchers, academics, and students in evolutionary biology, behavior, genetics, and biodiversity will also be interested in this work, as will those in human biology and issues such as ethics, religion, and the human mind, along with professional philosophers of science and those concerned with such issues as whether evolution is compatible with religion and/or where morality comes from. Presents the unique perspective of a distinguished biologist with extensive experience in the field who has published much about the subject in a wide variety of journals and edited volumes Covers the philosophical issues related to evolution and biology in an approachable and readable style Includes the most up-to-date treatment of this burgeoning, exciting field within biology Provides the ideal guide for researchers, academics, and students in evolutionary biology, behavior, genetics, and biodiversity